Method and apparatus for providing video content using collaborative end points

• US 10,405,023 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2016
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Streijl, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson, Frank
• Application Number:
  US15/237,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20180054645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management

Abstract

A method embodying the disclosure includes facilitating communications with mobile user equipment (UE) devices to form a collaborative group that uses a local wireless network. A UE receives video content from a content provider via a first network, presents the video content, and predicts a degradation of presentation quality for a portion of the video content. The UE sends requests to other UEs in the group for subportions of the video content, and receives the subportions via the local wireless network. The requesting UE aggregates the received subportions to obtain an alternate video portion for presentation and thus mitigate the predicted degradation of presentation quality. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

facilitating, by a processing system including a processor, communications with a plurality of user equipment (UE) devices including a first UE device and a second UE device via a local wireless network, wherein the processing system, the first UE device and the second UE device comprise mobile devices, wherein the processing system, the first UE device and the second UE device form a collaborative group communicating via the local wireless network, wherein the processing system, the first UE device and the second UE device are respectively coupled to equipment of different first, second and third service providers via different first, second and third networks distinct from the local wireless network;

receiving, by the processing system, video content from a content provider via the first network;

presenting, by the processing system, the video content;

predicting, by the processing system, a degradation of presentation quality for a portion of the video content resulting in a predicted degradation of presentation quality;

responsive to the predicted degradation of presentation quality, determining, by the processing system, a segmentation of the portion of the video content, wherein the segmentation assigns the first UE device to provide a first subportion of the portion of the video content and assigns the second UE device to provide a second subportion of the portion of the video content to increase an available bandwidth of content;

transmitting, by the processing system, a request to the first UE device to retrieve the first subportion of the portion of the video content from the content provider and a request to the second UE device to retrieve the second subportion of the portion of the video content from the content provider according to the segmentation that is determined;

receiving, by the processing system, the first subportion and the second subportion of the portion of the video content via the local wireless network from the first and second UE devices respectively, resulting in received subportions, wherein the first UE device obtains the first subportion via the second network and the second UE device obtains the second subportion via the third network; and

aggregating, by the processing system, the received subportions of the portion of the video content to obtain an alternate video portion for presentation, thereby mitigating the predicted degradation of presentation quality.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the video content is received using an adaptive bit rate procedure.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of UE devices communicate according to a multi-path transmission control protocol (MP-TCP).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in accordance with the facilitating, the plurality of UE devices form the collaborative group for a limited period of time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of UE devices in the collaborative group is associated with a distinct network channel, and wherein a different subportion of the video content is obtained by the collaborative group via each network channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicting is based on congestion on the first network exceeding a threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the processing system, a correspondence between the first and second subportions and the first and second UE devices respectively; and

determining, by the processing system, a sequence for receiving the first and second subportions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third service providers respectively comprise different first, second and third mobile network operators (MNOs).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicting is based on historical data for the first network.

10. A device, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising;

facilitating communications with a plurality of user equipment (UE) devices via a local wireless network, wherein the processing system, a first UE device and a second UE device comprise mobile devices, wherein the processing system, the first UE device and the second UE device form a collaborative group communicating via the local wireless network, wherein the processing system, the first UE device and the second UE device are respectively coupled to equipment of different first, second and third service providers via different first, second and third networks distinct from the local wireless network;

receiving video content from a content provider via the first network;

presenting the video content;

predicting a degradation of presentation quality for a portion of the video content resulting in a predicted degradation of presentation quality, wherein the predicting is based at least in part on congestion on the first network exceeding a threshold;

responsive to the predicted degradation of presentation quality, determining a segmentation of the video content, wherein the segmentation assigns the first UE device to provide a first subportion of the portion of the video content and assigns the second UE device to provide a second subportion of the portion of the video content to increase an available bandwidth of content;

transmitting a request to the first UE device to retrieve the first subportion of the portion of the video content from the content provider and a request to the second UE device to retrieve the second subportion of the portion of the video content from the content provider according to the segmentation that is determined;

receiving the first subportion and the second subportion of the portion of the video content via the local wireless network from the first and second UE devices respectively, resulting in received subportions, wherein the first UE device obtains the first subportion via the second network and the second UE device obtains the second subportion via the third network; and

aggregating the received subportions of the portion of the video content to obtain an alternate video portion for presentation, thereby mitigating the predicted degradation of presentation quality.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of UE devices communicate according to a multi-path transmission control protocol (MP-TCP).

12. The device of claim 10, wherein in accordance with the facilitating, the plurality of UE devices form the collaborative group for a limited period of time.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of UE devices in the collaborative group are located within a predetermined proximity range.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of UE devices in the collaborative group is associated with a distinct network channel, and wherein a different subportion of the video content is obtained by the collaborative group via each network channel.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the first, second and third networks are respectively associated with different first, second and third mobile network operators (MNOs).

16. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

facilitating communications with a plurality of user equipment (UE) devices via a local wireless network, wherein the processing system, a first UE device and a second UE device comprise mobile devices, wherein the processing system, the first UE device and the second UE device form a collaborative group communicating via the local wireless network, wherein the processing system, the first UE device and the second UE device are respectively coupled to different first, second and third networks distinct from the local wireless network, wherein the first, second and third networks are respectively associated with different first, second and third mobile network operators (MNOs);

receiving video content from a content provider via the first network;

presenting the video content;

predicting a degradation of presentation quality for a portion of the video content resulting in a predicted degradation of presentation quality;

responsive to the predicted degradation of presentation quality, determining a segmentation of the video content, wherein the segmentation assigns the first UE device to provide a first subportion of the portion of the video content and assigns the second UE device to provide a second subportion of the portion of the video content to increase an available bandwidth of content;

transmitting a request to the first UE device to retrieve the first subportion of the portion of the video content from the content provider and to the second UE device to retrieve the second subportion of the portion of the video content from the content provider according to the segmentation that is determined;

receiving the first subportion and the second subportion of the portion of the video content via the local wireless network from the first and second UE devices respectively, resulting in received subportions, wherein the first UE device obtains the first subportion via the second network and the second UE device obtains the second subportion via the third network; and

aggregating the received subportions of the portion of the video content to obtain an alternate video portion for presentation, thereby mitigating the predicted degradation of presentation quality.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of UE devices communicate according to a multi-path transmission control protocol (MP-TCP).

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein in accordance with the facilitating, the plurality of UE devices form the collaborative group for a limited period of time.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of UE devices in the collaborative group is associated with a distinct network channel, and wherein a different subportion of the video content is obtained by the collaborative group via each network channel.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the predicting is based on congestion on the first network exceeding a threshold.